| |
It took Brodin a moment to realise how serious the situation was. If Dean refused to spend the night with the woman, which he was obviously going to, and if he could not persuade her to accept that Dean was already betrothed, Dean would be arrested.
“Your Ladyship, if you will not accept the picture as proof, will you take my word for it?” He had little hope that she would, but had to try something.
The woman snorted at him. She was middle aged, her blond hair turning to grey, with rolls of fat that were straining against the thin fabric of her dress in an effort to escape their confinement. She had an unattractive, sour face, which was made worse when she sneered at him.
“Why should I listen to you? Do you know whom you are addressing?” She looked at his travel-stained clothes in disgust.
“No your Ladyship. I have not had the pleasure of a formal introduction.” Brodin knew he was being overly polite, but his protocol training was too well ingrained for him to speak his mind.
“I am Lady Vex from Tennel. Not only do I outrank you, but I am also a personal friend of the Queen.” Brodin was shocked to see her raise her head and go onto tiptoes so she was literally talking down to him. To hide his anger, he forced himself to smile while trying to ignore the sniggers coming from Cirren’s direction.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said, pulling himself up straight and bowing slightly. “Let me introduce myself and my companions.” He started with Dal. “This is Lady Dallen and her husband.” Both inclined their heads, making the movement as shallow as possible without it being classed as rude. “Dean is my friend and associate.” Brodin noted the way Lady Vex smiled when he neglected to give Dean a title. “This is my brother, Prince Cirren and I am Prince Brodin of Remeny.” He couldn’t deny the feeling of satisfaction that flowed through him when the smile dropped from her face.
She recovered well from her surprise, snorting once more in an attempt to hide her initial reaction to his title. “Of course you are. And I am married to the King of Amenia,” she said derisively.
Seth, unable to contain himself, spoke before Brodin could. “No, that would be Queen Hetta. Lovely woman. Nothing like you. She is much prettier, not to mention slimmer. Never has a bad word to say about anyone, at least that was the impression I got the last time I met her. I was at her step-daughter’s wedding by the way. Were you?”
Lady Vex was overcome with fury. She had never been spoken to like that and to have a commoner do so was more than she could stand. “Guards,” she screeched at the top of her voice, pointing at Dean. “Arrest this man.”
Seemingly from out of nowhere, two heavy set men appeared. Their bright red uniforms displayed a crest that neither Cirren nor Brodin recognised. They had to be Lady Vex’s personal guards and therefore had no authority to arrest anyone. As the two men roughly took hold of Dean’s arms, Brodin drew his sword and held the point to the neck of the closest guard. Following his brother’s lead, Cirren did the same to the other guard.
“I am a visiting dignitary and your men do not have the authority to arrest a member of my retinue,” he informed Lady Vex coldly. “Have them stand down or I will kill them.” He pressed the point deeper into the guard’s neck to emphasise his point, though not quite hard enough to draw blood. Uncertain as to what he should do, the guard looked towards Lady Vex for instructions. Too angry to find her voice, she glared at Brodin.
“Release him,” she finally ordered, without taking her eyes off the Prince. “You have not heard the last of this,” she spat at him before theatrically turning her back on him and stomping out of the inn, slamming the door behind her.
“I suggest you make yourself scarce,” the guard whispered to Brodin once he had lowered his sword. “Her Ladyship does not like to be crossed.”
Brodin shook his head, re-sheathing his sword. “I will not be deprived of a decent night’s sleep by a sour-faced woman who is so pumped up with her own importance that she thinks she is above the law. I appreciate the advice though. Sorry about threatening you with the sword.”
The guard waved away the apology with one hand, while he rubbed his neck with the other. “No harm done.” He glanced towards his colleague. “I suppose we had better find out where she has got to,” he said unenthusiastically and the two men trudged out of the inn.
Dean was just drifting off to sleep when he was awoken by someone pounding on his door. “Open up,” a voice called out. Wearily he opened the door and found himself facing a man in the uniform of the Queen’s guard. “You are under arrest,” he was informed. “You must come with me to the jailhouse. You will face your accuser first thing in the morning.”
Dean groaned. “You should really think about notifying Prince Brodin that you are taking me away,” he suggested. He knew the man was only doing his job and wanted to save him the embarrassment of being confronted by an irate Prince when the sun rose. The guard accepted the suggestion and spoke quietly to Brodin, who was not happy, but agreed to do nothing until the morning. While all of his friends spent the rest of the night sleeping in comfortable beds, Dean had to make do with fresh straw which had been placed on the cell floor.
The first rays of light were just hitting the rooftops when Brodin and Cirren arrived at the jailhouse and demanded to speak with the man in charge. They explained the situation to the man, who introduced himself as Captain Gane, and displayed their rings as proof of identity. While the Captain accepted all they said, he regretfully told them that his hands were tied. An accusation had been made against Dean, one that was not being denied, and someone with more authority than he would be needed to accept Brodin’s word that Dean was indeed engaged.
“Could you not just sleep with her?” Captain Gane suggested.
“No,” Dean said emphatically. “I will not cheat on Sam.”
Gane sighed. “Then I am afraid you will have to visit the Queen.”
Brodin swore under his breath. “Is there no alternative? We are in rather a hurry.”
“I am afraid not. Only the Queen can overrule the law.” Reluctantly Brodin accepted that they would have to make the detour and sent Cirren back to the inn to get everyone ready to ride as soon as possible. Dean tried to convince them that he could visit the Queen alone and would catch up with them as soon as the situation had been resolved, but Brodin would not hear of it.
“I have some very bad news for you I am afraid,” Captain Gane said, somewhat reluctantly.
“What?” Brodin asked irritably.
“The accuser has to travel with us.”
The journey was long and unpleasant. Lady Vex was the worst travelling companion any of them had ever had the misfortune to journey with. She insisted on travelling by coach, along with her maid and cook, which meant they all had to stick to the roads, making the journey twice as long as it needed to be. By the time they reached the capital city of Tennel, even Captain Gane was ready to strangle her. When she wasn’t complaining about something, she was describing in great detail exactly what she was going to make Dean do once the Queen had found him guilty. She point blankly refused to accept that Cirren and Brodin really were Princes and spoke to them the same way she spoke to her servants, when she bothered to acknowledge their presence. Her attempts to order Seth and Dal around were soon shot down by Brodin, who pointed out that they did not work for her so she had no authority over them.
As the days progressed, Lady Vex became increasingly waspish, especially towards Dal. When she finally went too far and referred to Dal as a ‘little tramp’, Seth grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against a tree. “My wife is a Lady and you will start treating her like one,” he whispered into her ear. “Or next time I will press a little harder.” He increased his grip slightly before releasing her.
“Arrest him,” she yelled at Captain Gane. “He just threatened my life.”
“Sorry your Ladyship,” Gane replied, unable to keep the smile from his face, “but I did not see anything. Anyone else?” Nobody admitted that they had witnessed the incident, not even Lady Vex’s guards.
“You are both fired,” she snapped at them. To her surprise, the two men did not beg her to change her mind. Instead, they thanked Seth for getting Lady Vex to break a work contract they had been unsuccessfully trying to find a way out of for the past year. They packed their bags, mounted their horses and rode off in the opposite direction to which they had been heading, waving farewell until they were out of sight.
Lady Vex shouted after them, informing them that they had no right to leave her unprotected, insisting that they remain with her until she safely reached her main residence in Tennel. They ignored her and did not return.
Night was approaching when the group entered Tennel, so Lady Vex and her two remaining servants went directly to her home, while Captain Gane and the three other members of the Queen’s guard who had accompanied them took Dean to the jailhouse. Gane gave directions to the best inn in the city, but Brodin decided that the hour was not too late to visit the Queen. The guard on duty at the main gate recognised the two Princes from their last visits, though he was surprised to see them together. He confirmed that Queen Tibia was in the palace and sent one servant to inform her that she had important visitors and another to find the housekeeper, with instructions that rooms would be needed in the guest wing.
“May I recommend cleaning yourselves up a bit before your audience with the Queen,” the guard suggested.
Cirren smiled at him. “I really do not think she will mind what we look like.”
“You are quite right,” a voice sounded from down the corridor. Five heads turned and watched the Queen approach.
“Tibia,” Cirren said, holding out his arms. She kissed him on the cheek as he hugged her tightly. “You look different,” he observed, looking her up and down critically when she stepped out of his embrace. “More confident, regal even.”
She laughed lightly. “Thanks to you, and your brother, of course. You have given me back my country and I am finally acting as a true ruler. I guess it is affecting me in ways I did not expect.” Tibia was referring to Tor, when she spoke of Cirren’s brother. Both had been instrumental in removing her uncle from power and educating her in what misdeeds were being done in her country.
She turned her attention to the others, greeting Seth, Dean and Brodin like old friends, though not as affectionately as she had Cirren, Seth noted. Then she regarded Dal. Though she was dressed in trousers, Dal had grown her hair longer and was no longer taping down her breasts in an attempt to keep them hidden; she now looked very feminine. Tibia had also not failed to notice the fact that she and Seth were holding hands. “If I am not mistaken, you were posing as a boy last time we met.” She did not sound happy that she had been tricked. Dal nodded. “We have a lot to talk about young lady.” She took her by the arm and began to lead her away. “Dinner will be served at the usual time,” she called over her shoulder. “You gentlemen have one hour to make yourselves presentable.” She moved her head close to Dal’s and whispered, “I am not sure that will be long enough.”
While the men bathed and dressed in clean clothes, Queen Tibia took Dal to her personal chambers and instructed her maids to pamper the young woman. She was scrubbed from head to toe, massaged with lotion, dressed in a tight-fitting silk dress which emphasised her curves, had her hair brushed and curled, then had makeup applied subtly to her face. By the time the maids had finished, she looked stunning. During the entire procedure, Dal did her best to fill the Queen in on her complete story, starting with why she had pretended to be her twin brother and ending with her rushed marriage to Seth.
“You seem very happy,” Tibia noted.
Dal nodded her head. “I am. Seth is a wonderful husband.”
Tibia sighed. “I hope that I like whoever is chosen to be my husband. I cannot see it being someone I can fall in love with.”
Dal understood how the Queen felt. It was her arranged marriage that had caused Dal to run away in the first place. “When the quest is over, have your advisors speak with Tor. I am sure he would be able to find someone who would be good for you as well as your country.”
Tibia thought this was a good idea and decided she could not wait until the quest was over; she endeavoured to speak with Brodin later that evening. Dinner was served in Tibia’s personal dining room. It was not an official state visit so she tried to keep things as informal as possible. The reason for the Princes’ presence came up and Brodin reluctantly explained the difficult situation Dean had found himself in.
Tibia took them all by surprise by bursting out laughing. Nobody knew quite how to respond, so they all remained silent until Tibia quietened down. “Sorry,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I know you see this as a serious matter, but with all of the things I have had to deal with recently, I find it amusing that something so trivial still needs my involvement.”
“We did try to avoid this,” Cirren assured her, “but the Lady in question would not believe our identities so we had no hope of convincing her that Dean really is engaged.”
“Which Lady are we speaking of?”
“Lady Vex.” Seth almost spat the words.
Tibia appeared delighted by this news and smiled at Seth’s frowning face. “You dear boy. I am so glad you brought this matter to my attention. I am going to very much enjoy bringing that woman down a peg or two. I am sure she was a supporter of my uncle, but I never managed to prove it.” She called over a servant who was standing by the door and requested that he have a message sent to Lady Vex’s house, requesting her immediate presence at the palace.
“Is that a good idea, your Majesty?” Cirren asked in concern. “The hour is growing late.”
“That makes it even better,” she said, grinning impishly at him. “And please stop calling me ‘your Majesty’. I have a name you know.”
“Sorry Tibia,” he said, dropping his head like a naughty schoolboy who had just been reprimanded by a teacher. This made Tibia laugh once more.
A short while later, the servant returned, announcing that Lady Vex had arrived and was waiting in the formal meeting room.
The Queen pursed her lips. “This feels wrong somehow.” Then her face lit up. “Please give me a few moments, then show her into the throne room.”
“Yes your Majesty,” the servant replied, bowing low before leaving the room.
Tibia stood up and walked towards a door in the back of the room. “This is the quickest way to the throne room,” she informed her guests. Looking back at them she said, “I hope you will all be joining me.”
Cirren was not the only one smiling. “I would not miss this for the world.”
Chairs had been placed close to the throne and everyone was seated by the time Lady Vex was announced.
“Your Majesty,” Lady Vex said, curtseying as soon as she walked into the room. As she raised her head, her eyes fell on Brodin and Cirren, who were sitting on either side of Tibia. She had not been expecting them to approach the Queen, thinking instead that she would be able to give her side of events before demanding that they be brought into the palace in chains. “I see the charlatans have already spoken to you,” she said waspishly. “That was a bold move, but also a foolish one.”
“Lady Vex, how nice of you to come and see me, especially at such short notice,” Tibia said in a sickly sweet voice. “It seems that you already know my good friend Prince Cirren and his brother Prince Brodin, so I will not bother with introductions.” Lady Vex swallowed loudly, hoping she had misheard the words ‘good friend’. It had never occurred to her that the two men were actually royalty. She suddenly realised what a dangerous position she had gotten herself into.
“Now, you were saying something about charlatans, were you not?” Tibia continued, pretending not to see the look of alarm that passed across Lady Vex’s face.
“Forgive me, your Majesty,” she stammered. “It appears I made a mistake.”
“You most certainly did,” Tibia said coldly, all trace of sweetness gone from her voice. She stood up so that she was looking down on the visibly trembling woman. “You have insulted not one, but two members of the royal family of Remeny. Your actions could have led to war between our two countries. Therefore I must view what you have done as an act of treason.”
“Treason,” Lady Vex yelped. “Please. No. I beg you. All I did was demand that a peasant warm my bed, as is my right.”
Tibia took a step towards her and was unable to hide her satisfaction when Lady Vex took a step back. “A right you no longer have. You have been abusing your so-called rights for far too long. My uncle may have turned a blind eye to it, but I will not. I am formally stripping you of your title and your lands.” She turned to address Cirren and Brodin. “Is this sufficient, or should she forfeit her life?”
Cirren was too shocked to answer. Brodin, however, was not. “No, I think justice is being served here. She may keep her life.”
“Then remove yourself from my sight, woman. I give you two days to vacate your residence before it becomes property of the state. A formal announcement of your loss of title will be made in the morning.”
Lady Vex ran from the room. Cirren, ignoring protocol, rushed to Tibia, grabbing her arm and spinning her round to face him. “You would not really have had her executed, would you?”
“Of course not,” she assured him. “I would have let her off with just a formal apology if this had been her first offence. Unfortunately for her, it was not. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”
“I guess this means Dean is free to leave,” Dal said, surprised at how easily the situation had been resolved.
“Of course,” Queen Tibia confirmed. “I will send a guard to retrieve him from the jail at once. It is late. Will you stay the night and join me for breakfast before you depart.”
“It will be our pleasure.” Cirren took her hand and kissed the back of it before bowing formally and wishing everyone a good night. The rest soon followed.
“May I speak with you a moment,” Tibia asked Brodin before he left the throne room.
“Certainly,” he replied, returning to her side. “How may I be of help?”
“I will need to start thinking about marriage soon and Dal said I should talk to Tor about finding someone suitable. Will you speak to him for me?”
Brodin smiled. “That is a very good suggestion. I am sure between us my brother and I can come up with a list of suitable candidates. In fact, I can think of one already.”
Queen Tibia did not like the look on Brodin’s face when he left the room and she began to think she had just made a very big mistake.